And as soon as she’d finished…she’d gone back to Val d’Isère, back to Hans and the gang.
But no, she wasn’t going to let her mind go there. She was here, and she couldn’t be happier.
She coached kids on the slopes in winter and in summer, when the resort was put to different use, she taught tennis and football to the under tens and even a little art, calling on her foundation-year skills in graphic art.
She hummed to herself as she got dressed.
Jogging bottoms and a warm, baggy grey jumper and bedroom slippers because, although it was toasty warm inside the chalet it was freezing outside. In the world of the mega rich, she had discovered, heating costs never registered because it was imperative everything was in tip-top, ready-for-anyone-to-descend condition all year round. Both pools, indoor and outdoor, were meticulously maintained for the same reason.
The sprawling chalet was contained on three floors and every single room on all three floors afforded a view of the spectacular scenery outside.
Downstairs, huge double doors opened into a massive foyer with heated stone flooring. What else? There was just enough wood panelling on the walls to look elegant instead of tacky and an enormous mudroom was custom-built for skis and gear.
There was a fully equipped bar and a games room and then all the usual suspects…dining area, gourmet kitchen, living room with soaring vaulted ceilings and exposed timber beams and two huge stone fireplaces. There was even an outdoor fireplace for anyone hardy enough to want to sit outside in winter and absorb the magnificent scenery. And, of course, the pools.
One floor up was the main suite, hidden behind three doors, which said a lot about just how big it was, along with another informal sitting area, a fantastic snooker room with a bar and three further bedrooms, all en suite.
And then the top floor, where she had taken up residence…equally luxurious and definitely with the best views as far as she was concerned. Gazing out at the infinite stretches of white was something she could have just sat and done for hours, without moving a muscle.
Right now, though…dinner beckoned.
Conscious of her status at the chalet, which wasshouldn’t really be there at all, Georgie was careful to leave no sign of her presence behind her,just in case. No mess anywhere and the few bits and pieces in the fridge were neatly on one shelf and there wasn’t an errant dish to be seen anywhere.
She knew with her head that there would be nojust-in-casescenario, but she was very much aware that this job and the pay cheque that went with it were invaluable.
For the first time, she was actually managing to put money aside for when she returned to England.
She was twenty-six and the thought of living with her parents with no end in sight didn’t bear thinking about and a teacher’s salary would never have stretched to a flat in London, which was where she wanted to live.
She grimaced and switched off annoying thoughts about living arrangements because what was the point of planning how to cross bridges that weren’t even on the horizon yet? She commanded Alexa to play her favourite rock tracks instead, then she turned up the volume and began tidying away the tiny amount of mess she had made in the bedroom.
Just in case…
‘What is that noise? I’m hearing something. What am I hearing, Alessandro? Miguel? Henry? All of you!Can you hear something?’
‘I don’t hear anything, Sophia.’
Alessandro suppressed a sigh of utter impatience. They’d been in the villa for five minutes, barely time to remove the coats, scarves and gloves, and already he knew that this was not going to be smooth sailing.
But then had he expected anything less from his ex-wife? If she could make life as difficult as possible for him, then it was an opportunity she would never bypass.
This time though?
No more playing Mr Nice Guy. He’d been playing Mr Nice Guy for the past two and a half years and if the only way to end it was this way, then so be it.
He looked around his chalet. He hadn’t actually been here for over eight months. Various of his employees had used it as reward for certain special projects that had required extra hours or effort beyond the call of duty. Occasionally, his mother and a couple of her friends might venture here during the summer months but never in winter because she’d never skied.
But for him? Yes, downtime when he took to the slopes for a few snatched days of pitting himself against the most challenging runs, but his life rarely allowed for that indulgence.
He’d thought about selling it, but then why bother? He could easily afford to keep it just for those occasional times when he chose to make use of it. It was cleaned, aired, kept heated with geothermal energy-efficient heating that cost a fortune but was environmentally kind, and generally maintained to a pristine standard for those times when it was put to use.
Right now, Alessandro was extremely grateful to have it at his disposal because there was nowhere else on earth where they could have been assured of the privacy he needed for this meeting with his ex and their respective lawyers.
Some subterfuge had been required but all was fair in love and war.
They were here and he wasn’t about to let his plans for this agenda be derailed by his ex-wife trying to go off-piste with lame diversionary tactics.
‘Sophia,’ he said coldly, ‘I’ve asked you to come here, with lawyers in tow, so that we can put differences behind us and regulate the situation that’s been getting out of hand and we both know what I’m talking about.’
